One by one, family, friends and strangers came to pay their respects to Boudreau.

Her husband, four children and nine grandchildren carried her casket into the auditorium.

“Wendy was fun, daring and full of life,” state Sen. Linda Valentino wrote in Boudreau’s eulogy.

Others spoke about Boudreau and her connection to Thornton Academy. Boudreau went to school at Thornton and met her husband there. She worked at the school and also sent her children there. Friends said family came first for Boudreau, but Thornton Academy was a close second.

Her colleagues described Boudreau as selfless, caring and compassionate.

“I keep thinking that if everybody could be a little bit more like Wendy, what a kinder, more gentler world we would live in,” Boudreau’s sister Patricia Parisien said.

Boudreau’s daughter Jessica Boudreau, spoke about her mother’s resilience and thanked the community for their outreach and support.

“We will hold each other close and keep mom with us,” she said. “The glue that holds us all together.”

The service was performed by Pastor Burt Howe, from the United Baptists Church in Saco.

The auditorium capacity is 500 and an overflow room was set up for the additional 100 attendees to watch the service on a livestream.